Handling Disappointment

“I’m so disappointed!” Have you ever said this? Of course, most of us have experienced this feeling. Maybe we have not voiced our discontent to others or maybe we have, but none of our feelings escape God’s notice. When we are disappointed what or who are we setting our mind on? I’ll betcha’ 9 out of 10 times it is on yourself. You expected something to go a certain way but it did not. Or things seemed to be going great then a change happened without as much as a consultation with you to discern whether it was ok by you. Can you relate?

If so let me say, “you may need to change your orientation from yourself to God.” Here is why I say that. In the following passage Peter was obviously disappointed with Jesus’ prediction of His death:

Mark 8:31–33 (NLT)

31Then Jesus began to tell them that the Son of Man must suffer many terrible things and be rejected by the elders, the leading priests, and the teachers of religious law. He would be killed, but three days later he would rise from the dead.

32As he talked about this openly with his disciples, Peter took him aside and began to reprimand him for saying such things.

33Jesus turned around and looked at his disciples, then reprimanded Peter. “Get away from me, Satan!” he said. “You are seeing things merely from a human point of view, not from God’s.”

Ouch! Doesn’t that define a major amount of our disappointments? What we thought should happen isn’t God’s plan. In reality that was Peter’s mind. He planned on Jesus’s being the new King of Israel who would be the Liberator King. Finally Rome would be defeated and the Promised Kingdom could be set up. They all had it figured out. But that was not God’s plan. God sent His Son to be Savior of the world. And that was far better than what Peter wanted at the time.

Peter stood corrected. And once we can see this in our own lives when we are disappointed, that life is all about ourselves, then we can reorient and change by making our lives all about Him. And that is what Jesus called for with His disciples right after He dealt with Peter’s selfish tirade. Here is how He put it:

Mark 8:34–38 (NLT)

34Then, calling the crowd to join his disciples, he said, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must turn from your selfish ways, take up your cross, and follow me.

35If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake and for the sake of the Good News, you will save it.

36And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul?

37Is anything worth more than your soul?

38If anyone is ashamed of me and my message in these adulterous and sinful days, the Son of Man will be ashamed of that person when he returns in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.”

I believe your disappointment can become a blessing by switching places with God. In practice, since He is in control, let Him reign over your life and look to see things from His point of view. His perspective is right even if you cannot see it clearly. His judgments are right. And everything He plans is always better than anything we could possibly dream up. So trust God and rest in His sovereign goodness.